St. Paul's Episcopal Church

Founded in 1692

A Greeting from The Rev. Mark Stanley, Co-Rector

“All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ.”
– Saint Benedict

Wherever you are on your spiritual journey, please know that you are most welcome here at St. Paul’s Church, also affectionately known as Old St. Paul’s. We offer a variety of Sunday morning worship services
appealing to different types of people. Our congregation is alive with the hustle and bustle of children’s programs; our adult Forums are the finest in the area and our choirs offer inspirational sacred music.

While we are a historic parish founded in 1692, we are also a living community of Christians who care deeply about each other and are sharing God’s love with those around us. We are a downtown congregation that seeks to offer warmth and inspiration to all who come through our doors.

It is my hope that the information in this booklet will tell you a little more about who we are and how we live out our Christian faith together in this place. If you are looking for a church home, we invite you to join us as we strive to celebrate and spread the love of God through our worship, education, fellowship and outreach.

God bless you,
The Rev. Mark Stanley

Children’s Worship

During the first half of the 10:30 service, young children are invited to go downstairs to have their very own worship experience. Gathered in a circle on the floor, children are joyfully engaged through singing, playing percussion instruments, praying, and listening to the good news for the day. Families arriving for the service are invited to find a seat in a pew upstairs, sing the opening hymn together, and then when the priest invites children to go downstairs for Children’s Worship, they may go through the side door with their friends to gather in the Undercroft for a special worship time together. Children who are five and younger must be accompanied by a parent. Parents are always welcome to join us. Before the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, the children will rejoin their families upstairs so that all ages in our congregation can enjoy receiving communion together.

Music

Music in our Worship

As Bishop Sutton recently stated, “Good worship consists of its own three legged stool: music, liturgy, and preaching. Each leg of that stool is important.” In the church today, the role of our music program is two-fold. First and foremost, it provides leadership by supporting the congregational singing of our hymns and other service music. Second, a music program provides a sense of heightened spiritual and intellectual understanding of the message and Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We know that Christ’s message of love can be both simple and profound, and like his message, great worship music can offer both an immediate connection to the Gospel as well as glimpses of the sublime and mysterious. Whether it is the simplicity of a familiar hymn-tune or the transcendental effect of a beautiful choral anthem, we are hopeful that the music program at Old St. Paul’s will add enrichment to our collective worship experience.

Palm Sunday Choir

Service Leaflets & Communion

“When Christians gather together for worship, we unite ourselves with others to acknowledge the holiness of God, to hear God’s Word, to offer prayer, and to celebrate the sacraments.”
-The Book of Common Prayer

In describing Christian community, St. Paul used the image of a body to remind us that we each have a purpose, our diversity is a strength, and all parts are important. In worship, we give thanks and celebrate the reality that through the grace of Jesus Christ, we are one body, one spirit, one people. In our worship, we work toward fulfilling the mission of the Church to be at unity with God and each other in Christ. We are reminded that we are all cherished by God. The love of Christ strengthens us so we may extend God’s unconditional love to all people, working for the restoration of unity in the whole of creation.

Service Leaflets

When you enter the Church to attend one of our worship services, a host or usher will  hand you  a Service Leaflet to serve as a guide for your worship experience. Taken  directly from The Book  of Common Prayer, 1979, all of the words of the service will be  provided in the Service Leaflet,  and words spoken by the congregation will be listed in  bold print. Hymns and other sung  music will either be printed in the Service Leaflet or  will be listed by page number to refer you to  the blue Hymnal located in your pew. Those  gathered for worship all share in the creation of  that experience, with each person  adding his or her own voice. All are invited to sing out on  the hymns and speak boldly  during the parts said by the congregation.

Receiving Communion at the Holy Eucharist

At the Last Supper, Jesus gathered with his friends for a sacred meal where he blessed bread and wine, and shared it saying, “Do this in remembrance of me.” In the celebration of the Eucharist, we gather around a common table, participate in Christ’s heavenly banquet, and are spiritually nourished by the consecrated bread and wine.

At St. Paul’s, all are welcome to receive communion, including children and even infants. When receiving communion you are invited to place one palm over the other so that the consecrated bread may be placed in your hands. After eating the bread, you are invited to guide the chalice to your lips so that you may drink consecrated wine from the common cup. Some may prefer to “intinct” by dipping the bread into the wine rather than drinking from the common cup. Either practice is welcomed in our Church. A full communion may be made by receiving in one kind, consuming either the bread or the wine. Those who do not wish to receive the bread and wine are still invited to come forward to receive a blessing and are asked to place their arms across their chest as a signal to the priest.

Our Identity Statements

At Old St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in downtown Baltimore…

Friendship & Community

We are a warm and accepting community of friends, caring for each other as we walk together on the Christian journey.

Welcoming & Diverse

We are open minded and open hearted, following in the footsteps of Jesus by welcoming ALL people—no exceptions!

Cherishing Children

We enjoy the energy and spirit that children and families bring to our community. We cherish children so that they learn they are cherished by God.

Worship & Music

Through worship, we open ourselves to God and each other, being uplifted by the beauty, traditions, and music in our services.

Christian Education

We value curiosity, inquiry, and discernment, and admit that we do not have all the answers as we explore the big questions of life.

Reaching Out and Caring for the world

Our members turn to each other for support as they work and serve in the name of Christ. We promote respect for the dignity of every human being through local and global social justice initiatives.

Here are some things we want you to know about us at Old St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Baltimore

Recently, a group of our members gathered to brainstorm some things we want to share with the many guests and newcomers who visit our church. Here is a summary of that conversation.

We are a historic church founded in 1692, and we enjoy the beauty of this sacred space, but the most important part of our church is the people. We’re glad you’re here and hope you will feel truly welcomed and accepted whenever you are with us. We want to get to know you and we invite you to tell us about yourself, your story, and what has drawn you to this place.

The mission of the Episcopal Church is to restore the unity of all people with God and each other through Christ. At Old St. Paul’s, we prioritize sharing the good news that God loves all people unconditionally, no exceptions. Our church life is enriched by the diversity of our members, and we celebrate the many gifts that newcomers and visitors bring. We invite people to do the hard work of understanding and dismantling racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, classism, and ageism. These unjust systems stand in opposition to the promises we make in our baptism to seek and serve Christ in all persons, respecting the dignity of every human being, and loving our neighbors as ourselves. Presiding Bishop Michael Curry is fond of saying, “If it’s not about love, it’s not about God.”

We celebrate children, and the new life they bring to our community. In our church, children and youth are both seen and heard. We have special pews that we call “soft spaces” for families with young children, and we provide programs for children and youth, such as Nursery Care, Children’s Worship, Sunday School, and Youth Group. We rejoice that our church includes so many young people and families.

At Old St. Paul’s, you don’t have to check your brain at the door. Through our adult Forums and other programs, we gather regularly to continue learning and growing. We understand that truth is best discerned in the midst of spirited conversations that are engaged with civility, honesty, and grace. We study the literature, poetry, letters, hymns, eyewitness accounts, folklore, sermons, and stories found in scripture and we use the Bible as a guide. God gives us reason to help us discern the truth and to make advances in areas such as science and medicine. God gives us free will to make our own choices in life, and to form our own beliefs. Our job is to be curious, open, and discerning.

If you consider yourself to be spiritual but not religious, then we welcome you to join us on your own terms. If you are wary of organized religion, then we want you to know we can relate. If you grew up in a different faith tradition, or with no religion at all, then we hope you will feel honored and inspired while you are with us. We celebrate who you are, and we rejoice that you were created in the image of God. Come as you are and get to know this group of friends who are walking together as we try to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.